Delhi government asks bike taxis to comply with the ban

Following the Supreme Court’s endorsement of the Delhi government’s ban on bike taxis, New Delhi city authorities have announced their intention to impound bike taxis operated by companies like Uber and Ola. They said that they will impound vehicles if these bike taxis continue their operations in violation of the ban.

Uber had legally contested the ban and urged the authorities to allow the continuation of their bike taxi services. However, the Supreme Court’s ruling on Monday upheld the Delhi government’s ban, dealing a setback to Uber and its efforts to challenge the decision.

The government’s position is that bike taxis violate local city laws. But Uber argues that the ban negatively impacts the livelihoods of its riders.

In a previous order on May 26, the High Court had effectively permitted bike-taxi aggregators Rapido and Uber to operate in the national capital. At that time, the HC urged the Delhi government not to take any coercive action until a new policy was formulated. However, the apex court suspended the High Court’s order on Monday.

A vacation bench has granted Rapido and Uber the liberty to seek an urgent hearing of their pleas by the Delhi High Court. The bench has also noted that the Delhi government counsel has assured that the final policy will be notified by the end of July.

The Delhi government has argued before the Supreme Court that the aggregators are operating two-wheelers without the necessary licenses or permits.

The government said that these licenses are required under Section 93 of the Motor Vehicles Act. It maintains that non-transport two-wheelers should not be utilized as taxis until a proper policy is in place.

Additionally, the government informed the top court that the licensing policy would be implemented. It said that the licensing regime would be operational by July 31, 2023.

The Delhi government emphasized that bike taxis operated by Rapido and Uber cannot be permitted without fulfilling conditions that ensure road safety and passenger security. These include police verification, installation of GPS devices, panic buttons, and other measures.

In February, the transport department had already cautioned bike taxis against operating on Delhi’s roads, warning that it contravened the Motor Vehicles Act of 1988. It also said that these aggregators are liable for a fine of ₹ 1 lakh.

Image Credit: Rsrikanth05, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Image Reference: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bike-Taxi-Stand-Gurgaon.jpg